From the Edges of Our Eyes
by Viridian Jester
Summary: A collection of one-shots in the Pokemon world, focused on normal people going about their everyday lives. Sometimes disrupted by the plot, sometimes not - ranges across various regions (OC centric).
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Rockets, Bikes, and Radio Stars**

Goldenrod City - the hub of the Johto region, home to the infamously difficult Gym Leader Whitney and the Goldenrod Department store, as well as the Game Corner. Brimming with people, Pokemon, and excitement, yet… here I was, stuck working a nine to five at the local bike shop. Thanks to a certain trainer's advertising, the shop owner (a kind, middle-aged man) was able to hire me on as part time help to repair broken or damaged bikes, which eventually became a full time job as business continued to climb. Not that I'm complaining - I'm exceedingly grateful he hired me, it's just a little bittersweet living in a city where Pokemon trainers are always roaming in and out of after I failed at my own Pokemon journey.

Slowly, I came out of my train of thoughts and gave one last pull on the bike I was working on. I sighed and wiped some sweat away from my face with my grease-covered arm, glad that I was finally able to get that darn chain to fall back in place. Houndour barked cheerfully and rubbed up against my bare leg. I gave him a pat on the head before putting my tools back on my tool belt. Thankfully, with how messy the work could get, I didn't have a uniform to keep clean and was able to wear jean shorts and an over-sized T-shirt, pulling up my long hair in a ponytail so it wouldn't get caught in anything.

"Marissa, I'm going out now," the owner called from the front of the store. "Can you watch the front of the store for me? The customer should be back for his bike in a few minutes too."

"Of course, be right out!" I called before grabbing a small hand towel and quickly wiping off the grease and sweat away from my arms and face. I then beckoned Houndour to follow before walking out of the back room and to the counter near the front of the store. Glancing out the two quaint windows, I confirmed that the owner was already outside and walking down the street. Discreetly pulling out my Pokegear, I fiddled with it for a bit until I found my favorite radio show, _Buena's Password_. Even though the owner said a customer would be in soon, there was nothing to do. I always turned it off as soon as the doorbell rang anyways, and I hadn't been caught yet.

As I listened, I noticed the faint sound of police sirens in the distance. No big deal, the sound isn't exactly uncommon in a large city. I scribbled down the day's password on a scrap piece of paper before switching the channel over to some music. After listening for about fifteen minutes or so, I grew a little uneasy. At this point Houndour had curled up at my feet and was taking a nap, but the police sirens hadn't stopped. The sound kept growing and growing until it could be heard in every direction - I even glanced out the window a few times to see several police cars race by. Then, they faded out until none were left. Perplexed, I looked down at my radio in an attempt to find the news. However, before I could switch the channel, the broadcast dissolved into a fit of frightful screams before being cut off altogether.

That… was beyond weird. The radio _never_ cut out - when broadcasts ended, the hosts always said goodbye, and they didn't start shouting incomprehensible garble. Something was very, very wrong - did it have to do with all the police sirens earlier?

Abruptly, the doors to the bike shop slammed open, the door chime ringing obnoxiously loud and breaking the ominous silence left in the absence of the radio. I looked up, startled, and Houndour woke up and started growling at my feet. My eyebrows raised in disbelief, standing before me was… was -

Two scrawny teens in black outfits with a red "R" proudly emblazoned on the front. In other words, two members of Team Rocket.

I hadn't seen a Team Rocket member before, yet their uniform was still firmly carved into the minds of all Kanto and Johto residents after their reign of terror three years ago. Cautiously, I reached for the Pokeballs on my belt - even if I didn't actually _own_ the shop, I still respected the actual owner enough to attempt to defend it in his place. Even if I only had two badges, Team Rocket grunts were never really known for their individual strength - it was more so their ability in numbers - and with only two of them, I thought it would be alright to battle them if they decided to pick a fight. After all, what else could they be here for?

All this ran through my head in a matter of seconds before the slightly taller grunt marched towards me, his shorter partner falling in step behind him.

"You will not, under any circumstance, leave this shop or call out any Pokemon, understand? We're placing this city on lock down, we have a big operation going - we'll leave you alone if you comply," he demanded. The other grunt nodded.

"Yeah, we got more to worry about than just some dumb bike shop - stay put miss and don't go causin' any trouble," he added, tapping his foot on the cool, white tile. Internally, I was confused - weren't Team Rocket supposed to be Pokemon thieves? Or at least focused enough on gathering wealth to not have any qualms about robbing a small bike shop for all it's worth? Did they really lose that much of their focus and direction after their big boss left them? Externally though, I moved my hand away from my Pokeballs and nodded.

"That's fine - it's not like I'm paid enough for this anyways. It's not my job to go around fighting crime or anything if it doesn't directly relate to me," I rambled. It's not like I could stop them - if it really was a big operation, going in to fight against Arceus knows how many grunts would result in a certain loss on my end. At least the bike shop would be safe, even if I did doubt the customer would come to pick up his bike now that Team Rocket was in town. Less work for me, I suppose.

The gruffer grunt tilted his head in affirmation while the smaller one let out a small chuckle at my remark about my paycheck. "Glad you understand, we better not be seeing you later." I hummed in agreement, and the grunts left the store, thankfully not damaging anything on the way out. After they left, Houndour and I walked over to the windows and quickly drew the curtains closed. I eventually worked up the courage to peek outside for a second or two - simply to satisfy my curiosity - and the normally quiet street was crawling with Rocket grunts, not a regular pedestrian in sight.

Suddenly, a loud static sound came from behind me, and I jumped up in alarm. Houndour bolted up to the store counter and started barking at it, and I let out a sigh of relief after sneaking over and realizing that I had simply left the Pokegear on and had forgotten about it after the broadcast cut out.

"...Uh...um. Testing! Testing, 1, 2, 3. We are the amazing Team Rocket! After three years of preparation, we have risen again from the ashes! Giovanni! Can you hear? We did it! ...Where is our boss? Is he listening?" the radio blared. It went quiet for a minute only to repeat the same prompt over and over, the man giving the message only becoming more and more desperate with each repetition.

Even if I didn't agree with Team Rocket's stance on Pokemon treatment, in that moment - when they were desperately calling out to their boss to no avail - I had to pity them. Calling out endlessly in hopes of being recognized by someone you look up to without even a hint that person was even listening in the first place, well… that's a cruel fate. One that I can, if not understand completely, at the very least empathize with. And in that moment, Team Rocket no longer felt like a distant night terror - instead, they felt _human_. Human, and so very, very lost.

* * *

 **AN: This was a ton of fun to write! My goal for these is to practice writing shorter works and to think more about how the life of an average person would be affected by living in a fantasy world and by the main story unfolding around them (in this case, for the world of Pokemon). The dialogue for the Rocket radio announcement isn't completely accurate, but it was the best I could find at the time and it's close enough to get the message across (if anyone does know the actual dialogue, I'd love to know - maybe an edit?). I plan on writing more of these and putting them out whenever, but there's no schedule right now - I do have some ideas for Kanto, Unova, and Hoenn right now though, in no particular order. Thanks for reading, and have a great week!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Confrontation and Cold Stares**

I hate group projects.

I know I'm not the only one - working with others can range from somehow tolerable to irritating and frustrating beyond belief. And these projects are especially terrible when the teacher assigns the groups, which is what happened in my Pokemon History class my freshman year of high school.

...Yeah, I was one of those few kids who _didn't_ go on a Pokemon journey. Surprisingly, there's a small percentage of people who don't try to challenge the league and instead go on to pursue a secondary education, and there are many reasons why some go against the grain. For me, I wanted money. Those who go continue schooling directly after age ten earn generally end up in higher paying fields, most commonly as doctors, lawyers, engineers, or businessmen. For others, their parents may have forced them to (unfortunately this was the case for most students in my school), they may have wanted to go into a specific career path right away, or they simply didn't want to go on a journey (whether it be because of an aversion to camping or a fear/hatred of Pokemon). Either way, it led us all to the same place - Sunyshore Private Academy.

So, Pokemon History - in others words, a class that focused on how Pokemon impacted human history, be it their roles in society, war, or culture. It also emphasized different social groups within humanity that treated Pokemon a certain way, whether that be in worship (the followers of Arceus or the Unown), partnership (Aura Guardians and their Lucario), or in another way. Not a problem, I liked history. But… half the quarter's grade was reliant on a single project. A group project, whose members were all assigned randomly by the teacher, Mrs. Smithe. I sighed as she began to list them off.

"Group one: Cameron, Luka, Mary, and Thomas. Group two: Sarah…" she droned monotonously. I muttered a curse under my breath - my three friends in the class (Luka, Mary, and Sarah) had all gotten their groups already, meaning I was to be left with people I didn't know that well and couldn't trust to pull their own weight. Still, even if I was discouraged, I was still attentive.

"Group four: Camilla, Landon, Ares, and Cyrus. Group five…" Mrs. Smithe continued. I let out a small exhale in relief. Cyrus was a bit antisocial at times, but he was smart and pulled his weight. Ares and Landon though… they weren't great for a group project, to say the least. Ares was the son of a well known corporate executive, and he partied. A lot. So, the odds of him actually _participating_ in the group project, with it being due around homecoming, was slim to none. Landon was a prankster and one of Ares' lackeys, so although he would be an alright partner on his own, there was no chance he'd show up to group meetings if Ares wasn't there.

"Alright class, remember - a five page research paper and a ten minute presentation on the importance of Pokemon in the medieval period, due Monday, October 15th. You can pick a specific kingdom and time range or go over it all as a whole - doesn't matter. I know it's three weeks away, but try not to procrastinate kids. And remember, don't plagiarize and cite your sources." The bell then rang, signaling the end of the school day. Most of the class got together in their groups to exchange their contact information before leaving to enjoy their weekend. Ares though stood up and started to bolt for the door, Landon at his heels. I stood up and quickly grabbed his wrist before the irritating redhead could run away.

"Ares, your phone number. We need to be able to communicate for the project," I stated concisely. He pulled his hand away, a small frown on his face. His gold eyes glared into my green ones.

"...Carly, was it?" he started.

"Camilla, actually," I interrupted. He sighed

"Well, whatever your name is, I don't exactly have time to do this project. You're smart, and I know your friend Erin has a crush on me. Do this project for me, and I'll take her on a date," he said, smirking. Landon winced and mouthed an apologetic 'sorry' from behind him. Thankfully, Cyrus walked up behind me and saved me from having to reply to the idiot.

"That won't work," the blue-haired teen stated. "It's a _group_ project, and though I despise working with someone like you, it seems I have no choice in the matter."

"Cyrus, I couldn't have said it any better," I added, glaring icily at Ares. "I refuse to be blackmailed into doing a project for you - it's clear you don't care for her anyways."

"Hey - Camilla, Cyrus. Here's our email! Don't worry, we'll definitely do our part at some point - just divide up the work and tell us what we gotta do," Landon interrupted, handing us a scrap sheet of paper with two emails on it. I suppose he was trying to diffuse the situation. Ares looked away and clicked his tongue, obviously annoyed.

"Landon, you're a pushover sometimes. Whatever, let's go," he declared before bouncing out the door. Landon quickly followed, giving Cyrus and I a small smile and wave. His dark ponytail swayed behind him once he turned around, and Cyrus and I turned to each other.

"That's… not ideal." I nodded in agreement to Cyrus' statement.

"Either way, we still have to do this project. Do you want to meet up over the weekend to divy up the workload?" I asked. He hummed in agreement.

"Would tomorrow at the public library work?"

"Yeah, is four o'clock fine with you?"

"Yes." After writing down each other's email addresses, we went on our separate ways. And unfortunately for me, this wouldn't be the end of Ares' shenanigans.

* * *

The next day, I quickly threw on a black T-shirt and jeans, letting my chestnut brown hair fall in waves down to my shoulderblades. I usually tied my hair up in a bun and wore contacts, but today I didn't even bother to put makeup on like usual - Cyrus didn't care much for appearances (thankfully), and though we emailed Ares and Landon to at least give them a say in what kingdom or time period (as Cyrus and I agreed doing the whole period would be near impossible to cover in depth and it would be easier to focus on the specifics), I knew they wouldn't show.

Grabbing my bag, textbook, and a few tomes on the various medieval kingdoms of Kanto (my grandmother did her PhD paper on that specific subject and was well known in the archeological community), I walked out of my home and towards the library. I arrived five minutes early, allowing myself to be awed by the large columns and stonework present within the library. As it had been my hideaway as a child, the gracefully carved designs of humans and Pokemon alike always put me at ease. The Sunyshore library was truly an interesting one, even if Canalave's will always be admired more for its extensive mythology collection. Unfortunately, the Sunyshore library would be bought out and demolished shortly after I finished high school.

Surprisingly enough, Cyrus had arrived earlier than I had and already seated himself at a table in the back. He too donned the ever-classic teenage outfit of jeans and a T-shirt (though his was gray), and he looked up at me from the book he was reading ( _The Role of the Unown: The Ruins of Alph_ ) as I placed my bag down at the seat across from his.

"Any ideas for the project?" he asked, eyes tired and heavy. I hummed in affirmation.

"Have you ever heard of Sir Aaron? He's a legend in Kanto," I stated, taking out my history book and a book on the Kingdom of Cameran. Cyrus nodded, running his right hand through his light blue hair (it looked really fluffy actually - I wanted to pet it but I thought it's be rude and out of place to ask).

"That's not a bad idea - the war would actually give us a good amount of material to connect to how humans used Pokemon at the time: both as partners and as weapons."

"Exactly. And how Sir Aaron sacrificed himself also showcases the ideals of knights, which ties in well to the different social classes of the period too," I replied. Cyrus let out a sigh.

"At least one of my partners is competent…" he muttered under his breath. I doubt he meant for me to hear him. He coughed briefly, clearing his throat before he spoke up. "How do you want to divide the workload?" I bit my lip and tapped my pencil on the desk.

"Well… I doubt Ares and Landon will do much. Though at the same time, I definitely don't want the two of us to have to do everything. I chose the topic, so you should probably divide it up to be fair. It doesn't matter too much to me." He furrowed his brow in thought.

"We should probably write the paper, and they can do the presentation slides. If we get all the information together, they can't mess it up too badly - it's just bullet points and pictures, after all." I nodded.

"Good idea - we can try to get them together the weekend before it's due to get the notecards done, and we can always just do them ourselves if they refuse to show up again."

"Fine - I'll write about the people and you write about the Pokemon. Let's do our body paragraphs and meet up after school Thursday to write the introduction and conclusion," Cyrus declared.

"Sounds good to me," I replied. I picked up my bad and slung it over my shoulder, but Cyrus stayed where he was. I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I enjoy reading on the weekends, I suggested the library since I stay here pretty much all day anyways," he stated. My face lit up in comprehension. He either prefered books to people or was trying to avoid his parents, who would be home since the work week was over (or perhaps both). He was smart but… I knew from other friends that parents could still really put a lot of pressure on their kids to succeed, and in such an academically competitive environment, it wasn't exactly uncommon for them to rebel or seek refuge somewhere else.

"Right, the library is always pretty quiet too. Goodbye, see you Thursday," I responded, giving a small smile before walking out of the building. Time to start writing that paper.

* * *

The rest of the project, surprisingly enough, went smoothly for a while. When we met up on Thursday, Cyrus and I edited each other's paragraphs before collaborating and writing the thesis. It wasn't that bad - I had to work with him to make his paper a bit more emotionally engaging while he caught some of my minor grammar errors, but it all worked out in the end. The paper was near flawless, but… then came the Friday before the project was due. I tried to pull Ares over before class to talk about the actual presentation - the slides and note cards that we would be writing this weekend - since he didn't reply to the emails (Landon did and said he would show up that Saturday, thankfully he did his half of the slides already and sent it to us for corrections). That was my first mistake.

"Ares, will you be there this weekend?" I asked (or demanded rather, I was losing my patience with him to be honest, but I externally kept a cool demeanor).

"This is the problem with women, always wanting my time and attention," he drawled. "You're not bad looking, sure, but you're a bit too stubborn for me - I like my women submissive, see?"

"Ares, I'm talking about the _group project_ that _counts for half of our grade_. Stop your whining and do your work," I cut in, my voice icy. He was sexist too. Great, and the teacher wasn't even here yet to yell at him for it.

"Hmm, tempting, but no - do it yourself. That's all you're good for, cleaning up other people's messes. You covered for Erin when she went to that Halloween party last year, you saved Mary from herself, you cleaned up your parents' broken reputation-" he rattled on arrogantly, but I angrily interrupted him, trying not to let my rage show.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my parents that way, especially since it was your father's fault in the first place," I snapped.

"-so why can't you clean up my grades too? After all, you have quite the fascination with broken things, especially if you're spending time with that freak over there," he said, gesturing to Cyrus. "Everyone knows the only thing he's good at is making little robots dance, and who cares about something like that?" Cyrus' jaw tensed, and he looked ready to punch Ares. I really couldn't blame him.

"I don't care who you are Ares, you _never_ talk about someone like that again - he isn't a freak, and everyone is a little broken inside. Hey, _you_ must be pretty broken to think I'm going to back down now. What matters here is that you _sit down_ and _take responsibility_ for your own grade instead of pushing it off onto someone else," I replied, aggravation leaking into my voice. The whole class was watching us now, holding their breaths in anticipation of what would happen next. With how intently they were watching, it was like it was the final episode of a shonen battle series. It must have been a peculiar sight - a petite girl standing only at around 5'4'' challenging the 6'2'' football player. And what did Ares, the legend himself, do next? Well…

"Nope," he said, annunciating the end of the word. "I don't feel like it." Ares then proceeded _to walk out of the classroom before class had even started_. Like… what? I was as a loss for words - completely stunned by his actions. Everyone else was too. After what seemed like an eternity, Mrs. Smithe waltzed into the classroom.

"Alright kids, take your seats. Time for attendance…"

* * *

Cyrus and Landon both approached me after class, and Landon spoke up first.

"Sorry about Ares, he was really out of line. I'll finish up the slides for him, but I actually don't think I'll be able to make it to the note card writing thingy anymore. Ares changed the party time to overlap with it - sent an email out and everything - so…" I sighed.

"Don't worry about it," I replied, resigned. "I did bait him a little - didn't exactly start the conversation with the calmest of temperaments. Just have fun at you party." Landon grinned.

"Right, well - how about we meet up before school Monday so I can read the lines throughout the day? At least I'll know what I'm saying then, right?" he suggested. I let out a small smile, this was way more cooperation from Landon that what I expected, though it was probably only because he pitied me due to how Ares insulted me earlier. It worked out for me though, so I suppose it was fine.

"Yeah, see you Monday then," I confirmed. Landon grabbed his backpack and skateboard before rocketing out the door. Everyone else had left the classroom at this point, teacher included, so it was just Cyrus and I.

"...Why do you let him treat you like that?" he asked, his voice soft. This was the first time I'd seen Cyrus show empathy for another person - he was normally abrasive or indifferent, only showing emotion when verbally berated by others (actually, that's probably part of the reason Ares' group antagonized him so much - to get a reaction out of the stoic teen).

"It's just how it is sometimes," I muttered, letting the last threads of my anger slip. "People can be ugly, cruel, and vile - attack others for their differences or perceived weaknesses, even if it's completely out of the subject's control." He paused and took a breath before reaching down to his bag.

"I know, believe me - _I know_. But that doesn't make it any better. Emotion… it's almost a vile thing in itself, making us feel hurt, broken, and raw." I hummed softly in agreement.

"Sometimes, yeah. I… I was actually bullied in elementary school for not wanting to go on a Pokemon journey, but even then it was for a choice that I made of my own free will. I accepted it and moved on, tried not to let it bother me. But being ostracized still hurt. Now… that's gone for me. But I still have to deal with the verbal attacks even now. This time though, it's for things out of my control. My gender, my parents… I don't hate them, but Ares' father destroyed their careers and got them blacklisted for a crime they didn't commit. I used to live in Kanto, but now I'm here, where that shouldn't be able to get to me. Yet it does, in the form of Ares - who is no more considerate of those around him than his father. It's… hard," I paused. I'd never actually revealed this much about myself before, but the blue-haired teen was still listening to me attentively, watching me warily. "But," I began, "but, if I let those cruel words and actions hold me back, I'll never be able to rise above them. I have to keep moving forward all the same. I imagine it must be hard for you too."

"Yes… it is - though I suppose that's a good way to look at it. Rise above what they think of you, turn their hate into awe or admiration," Cyrus replied, eyes glassy. He snapped out of it quickly though, pulling his bag onto his shoulder.

"Thanks for listening, Cyrus. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here," I replied, green eyes softening. His lip twitched into a small smile.

"I don't think I'll need that, but thank you for the offer. I can always talk to my grandparents if it gets too bad." And with that, we both walked out of the building together in a comfortable silence.

* * *

"Ey, Camilla!" Landon shouted, waving me over. I smiled softly and walked over to him.

"Glad you showed up for once," I said, jokingly. "Here's your notecards - and Ares' too. Hope you had a good weekend." I felt extremely awkward about my emotional outburst the Friday before, I shouldn't have let my feelings slip like that. Now, I'd collected myself and was ready to present the project - and ready to endure any fortune or misfortune that may come with it.

"Great! Thanks again, here's the flash drive for the slides. See you later!" Landon said before running off to join the rest of his friends in the cafeteria. I sighed - today would be a long day, wouldn't it?

* * *

So, good news - it wasn't a really long day, and the last class came pretty quickly. Bad news - Ares didn't show up to class on time, and Landon nervously informed Cyrus and I that he hadn't come to school that day. We quickly distributed Ares' cards among Cyrus and I, thinking that since we wrote them that it would be easier for us to recite them without looking down as much as Landon would have to. Even worse news - the teacher drew our names out of a hat and we were the first group that had to present.

It was nerve racking, but somehow we were able to miraculously pull it off. Since Ares didn't show up to the presentation, he received a zero on the project while the rest of us received close to full marks (Cyrus got a point off for being too monotone, I got one off for smiling too creepily, and Landon got two off for looking down at his note cards too often), so I suppose it worked out for the best. It was liberating to be done with that project to be honest.

I still waved at Cyrus in the halls after that, but we never really had any more classes together. Sometimes he would wave back, sometimes not. Ares got transferred to a more prestigious academy in Hoenn before the semester grades came out so his poor Pokemon History grade wouldn't show up on his record. I still see Landon to this day - he actually works at the same company as I do. I never saw Cyrus again after graduation though.

Some days, I wonder what became of him. He was really intelligent - did he ever make it big? Or did he crack under the pressure of negative emotions and what those around him thought and said? Well, I'll never know - I live in Alola now, and the chances I'll see him again on this tiny island region are slim to none. The workload the Aether Foundation gives me can be ridiculous at times too, so even if he were here on vacation, I probably wouldn't run into him. Though I'll always wonder if that was for the best or not.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you so much for the suggestions and support! This, once again, was super fun to write! It accidentally got away from me though, and it's way, way longer than the other chapter. Alas, that's life sometimes. This one has a lot of OCs though, so I understand if it's a little weird to read. I tried to keep young Cyrus believable too. After all, it would be unreasonable to assume that he was always as cold as he is in the games - it had to start somewhere, hence why I made him more like a regular teenager but still implied he was ostracized from others. In the end, the one-shot is still the story of the OC though, so there wasn't much I could really do with his character. The pressure to succeed academically is a huge issue that affects me personally too, so that's why this one came so easily to me (I had to write it once I thought of it). Future one-shots will probably be much shorter than this one, though the length of each won't be fixed. It'll be whatever it takes to tell the complete story. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: I Have to Dress Up as My Boss?**

 _Click. Clack. Click. Clack._

My shoes echoed as they slammed on the dark hardwood floor. Suddenly, I stopped and pivoted towards a rectangular table covered in white cloth, gently bowing and sliding the silver tray I was holding in my left hand down onto it. The customer, a petite young woman with pale hair, smiled softly.

"Thank you," she said. "The food looks excellent as per usual."

"Of course," I replied. "Do you need anything else, miss?" She shook her head.

"No, thanks again." I nodded and gave her a smile before turning away and gliding back towards the kitchen.

I was a waiter at a rather famous Unovan restaurant: the Striaton City Gym. I loved the job - the uniform was classy and the pay was good. Although, it could be a bit demanding at times. Especially when -

"Hyah! I challenge you to a battle, Mr. Waiter!" a determined youngster cried out from behind me. Yes, the gym's challengers could be rather taxing at times, interrupting when I least expected it. As a result, all of the gym's staff were trained to be difficult to startle - after all, it would be terrible if they dropped a customer's food because of it. I turned to face the youngster.

"Alright," I replied. "How many badges do you have?"

"Zero so far, mister. But this'll be my first one for sure!" he shouted enthusiastically.

"I don't doubt it," I said with a small chuckle. "As per gym rules, I will be using one Pokemon. You, as the challenger, can use up to six and are allowed to use healing items. Are those terms acceptable?" The kid nodded readily.

"Yeah, go Patrat!"

"Lillipup, you're up!"

Both Pokemon came out of their Pokeballs in a burst of light, and the woman from earlier looked on in interest. That was another signature of the Striaton Gym - patrons could watch eager trainers challenge it while they ate a world class meal.

"Patrat, use Bite!" the boy yelled. The brown muskrat lunged towards Lillipup, fangs bared.

"Lillipup, dodge and use Leer!" I commanded. Lillipup jumped over Patrat and barely managed to avoid the attack before staring menacingly at it. Patrat paused in its movements. "Now, Tackle it!"

The attack hit Patrat head-on, and the boy looked alarmed that the attack did so much damage.

"Leer lowers the other Pokemon's defense by scaring them into lowering their guard," I explained. After all, he was just a kid and it wasn't in my job description to be mean. Besides, this way he would be able to do better the next time he issued a challenge, or even in the gym battle itself if he ended up defeating me. "Lillipup, tackle it again!"

"Patrat, Detect!"

Patrat protected itself, and Lillipup bounced back against the field. The dog Pokemon glared at the Patrat before circling it, waiting for the move's effect to wear off.

"Good call," I noted, somewhat impressed. That meant his Patrat was at least level 11, which was close to the power level that the leaders used for first time challengers. He smiled proudly.

"Thanks, Mr. Waiter! I trained really hard," the youngster replied. "Patrat, Tackle that Lillipup!"

"Lillipup, counter it with your own Tackle!"

The two Pokemon clashed, but the challenger's Patrat fainted due to the damage it took earlier while my Lillipup remained standing.

"Aw man," the boy pouted. "Good job, Patrat. Now it's weakened. Go, Pidove!"

He threw another Pokeball, and the bird Pokemon fluttered out onto the battlefield, cooing. Lillipup was panting, looking excited to have another opponent; she really did love battling.

"Pidove, Quick Attack!" he called, adjusting his orange hat.

"Take the attack, Lillipup, and use Work Up!" I shouted. Work Up would raise Lillipup's attack, and thinking back I probably should have used it instead of Leer. The effect would've last the whole battle for me, considering I could only use one Pokemon while the challenger could use multiple.

Lillipup fell back as Pidove collided with it, letting out a small yelp. "Use Bite, then Tackle!" I yelled, knowing that I'd have to get in some damage before Pidove could strike next, or I'd be done for. Miraculously, it worked - Lillipup bit the bird, spun around it, and then tackled it. And… Pidove was out. Work Up boost for the win, I suppose.

"Aw, I thought I had it!" the orange-clad boy said disappointedly from the other side of the field, recalling his Pidove back into its Pokeball. "Well, that's all the Pokemon I got, so here's your prize money. That was a really fun battle though. More training for me, I guess!" He walked over to me and handed over some bills and change. I gave the kid a soft smile and a contemplative look.

"Yeah, you did really well getting this far. Have you been to the trainer's school yet?" I asked. He shook his head. "I'd recommend checking it out, it has a ton of information on different Pokemon attacks, and you can always ask the teachers about battle strategies for next time." The youngster gave me a big grin.

"Thanks mister, I'll definitely be back for a rematch after I check it out!" he said before running out, presumably to the Pokemon Center next door. Letting out a small sigh, I bent down and gave Lillipup a rub behind her ears and a smile before returning her. After standing up, someone put their hand on my shoulder and I turned around in alarm.

"H-hello Boss," I stammered, turning around to see Cress behind me. He flipped his deep blue hair before crossing his arms and looking at me in appraisal.

"That was a good battle, and you gave that boy good advice too," he began. "What other Pokemon do you have? I assume grass types since you're working in Cilan's section, correct?" Cress was right, of course. All of the staff had Lillipups, but they also had type specialized Pokemon depending on what sector they worked (or rather, their location was decided on what Pokemon they had when applying for the position). The red-curtained section at the front of the restaurant was Chili's, the blue-curtained section was Cress', and the green-curtained section (where I was) was Cilan's.

"Yes, sir. My other partners are Pansage and Sewaddle," I said. He hummed.

"Good, that'll work. Can you send them out for me?" Cress was one of my bosses, so I couldn't really say no - though I was wondering why he wanted to see them. I reached for the Pokeballs at my waist and called them out, and the light emitted from them quickly formed into my companions.

Pansage grinned and waved at Cress while Sewaddle crawled over to me and started to climb up my dress pants. I chuckled and picked him up - Sewaddle always liked to be held outside of battle.

"Hm… they look around level 20, is that right?" Cress asked, and I nodded in affirmation. "That's good. Follow me, Damien." For a second I was surprised he knew my name - I only ever worked with Cilan and had only seen Chili and Cress at the job interview - but then I realized I was wearing a nametag. Oops.

As we walked towards the gym leader's section, I grew nervous. Employees rarely went back there outside of staff meetings. Was I in trouble? No, he praised me, so that couldn't be it. But then… what was the issue?

Once we arrived, Chili was already standing on the stage, tapping his foot impatiently. "Yo, Cress - what took you so long?" Cress let out a small sigh.

"Chili, it took a while to find a suitable candidate. Damien here is good at battling and has a Pansage, so as long as you prepared a good enough costume it'll work."

"...What do you mean by costume?" I asked, uncertain. The redhead turned to me with a mischievous grin and glint in his eyes.

"Ooh, this'll be fun!" Chili chuckled. "I can't wait to see his reaction - especially once we get the hair dye out." Hair dye? That didn't sound good, not at all. And I thought Cress was responsible - where was Cilan when you needed him?

"Chili, don't scare him too much - it's not anything bad," Cress reprimanded. "Damien, Cilan decided to travel the region with another trainer. As a result, we need someone to stand in for him as the third leader here."

"Yeah - we need to keep the whole trio theme going, ya know?" Chili added.

"Becoming a gym leader is a great honor, I'm grateful for this opportunity, really - but what's the catch?" I asked warily. Normally, to appoint a new gym leader, the region's current champion, elite four, and gym leaders would have to convene and go over the candidates that the previous leader supplied, confirming or denying them the position one by one. To just become one out of nowhere - with no notice nor formal candidacy - was unheard of, unless in the case of handing the Gym over to a previous leader. And as a result, this situation was fishy to say the least.

"Well… _you_ won't be a gym leader, per say," Cress began. "We didn't formally notify the league of Cilan's absence, so -" Chili cut him off.

"You'll be dressing as Cilan - you look about the same height, after all. No one will suspect a thing!" My eyebrow twitched.

"I'm fairly sure that isn't in my job description," I replied coldly. "And gym leader impersonation is a federal crime."

"Not if they don't press charges!" Chili replied enthusiastically. This was perhaps the most ridiculous thing I'd heard in my entire life. I was about to give him a piece of my mind, even if he was one of my bosses, but then Cress spoke up.

"It'll only be for this league cycle, after the tournament you can go back to being a regular waiter. We'll give you a permanent pay raise for your troubles too. Please, Damien, I know this is weird and uncalled for, but we really want our brother to be happy and see the world. If you say no, we'll understand."

I sighed, wringing my hands on my apron. "Cilan… is a good boss," I started. "He cares for his employees, and I'm sure you two do as well. If… if I can talk to him, and he's alright with it, I'll do it." Chili let out a shout in excitement and Cress smiled at me.

"Thank you so, so much - we'll call him tonight at the end of your shift. You don't know how much that means to us," he said. I smiled back, running a hand through my dark brown hair.

"Yeah, just… don't expect me to talk much. I don't think I can impersonate his voice." Chili chuckled.

"He has his quiet days, and don't worry about that - you sound enough like him that in the heat of battle no one should really notice."

And that was how I signed my death warrant - dooming myself to a year of pretending to be somebody else.

* * *

I walked out of Cress' and Chili's section of the gym tired and mentally drained - we worked out the details of the arrangement, and after my shift ended we did indeed call Cilan, who was more than happy with the whole situation. He said I was a good battler and a natural at customer service. I was flattered; I didn't realize he paid that much attention to his waiters. The next morning would be my first day as Cilan, and rather unfortunately, I'd have to get there early so the two remaining brothers could dress me up "just like Cilan" (I felt really weird about being semi-forced to cosplay my boss). Some days, I just had to wonder - why me?

* * *

 **AN: These are my favorite things to write, I think. I really should've tried writing one-shots earlier! This one, though still fun to write, was a bit more challenging due to the battle scene, which was really awkward at first. I think it turned out okay though (thankfully). Since last time strayed rather far from the established lore and featured a lot of OCs, this one goes to the opposite extreme - one main OC surrounded by Gym Leaders and a youngster. This chapter was very Pokemon and couldn't really have been written in any other setting. It's also a lot more lighthearted in its premise. Thanks for reading and have a great day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Aqua Anger Alert**

Being a museum receptionist was usually an easy job. All I have to do is smile, greet the customer, and take their entrance fee of 50P before letting them continue on their merry way towards the exhibits. It was a minimum wage job, sure, but anything helps when saving up for higher education.

Really, the Slateport Oceanic Museum wasn't a busy place either with only a small clientele of traveling trainers or the occasional local wondering in. Once in awhile, a group of small children would come in for a field trip or some of the folks working on the ferry would stop in on their lunch break, but usually there wasn't any more than ten guests at any given moment. Well, _usually_ being the keyword here. Of course, any day where a seemingly infinite mob of pirates (yes, they were actually dressed up like pirates in broad daylight) appears of of nowhere couldn't be classified as a usual day.

I, being a good employee, winced internally before collecting myself and attending to the… _eccentric_ guests as I would any other.

"Welcome to the Oceanic Museum. The entrance fee is 50P, would you like to enter?" I asked the first one in line. He looked no older than fifteen, with bright orange hair peeking out under his blue bandana and a lopsided grin.

"Yes ma'am, here you go!" he replied, sliding the exact change across the counter. I quickly counted the amount just to double check before stashing it in the cash register.

"Please enjoy yourself," I said smiling, tucking a strand of my dark green hair behind my ear. Then, he walked towards one of the exhibits and left me to deal with the next person in line - another teenager in a black-and-white striped shirt and wearing a blue bandana with an "A" on it. Oh joy. The sentences "Welcome to the Oceanic Museum. The entrance fee is 50P, would you like to enter?" became a mantra for me, and unfortunately for my sanity, each one seemed to take longer and longer to fish out the change from their pockets. Taking a quick glance out the door, I noticed I could finally see the end of the line (even if it was a good eight or so people away from me). All I'd have to do is speed through these people, and then I'd finally be able to take my lunch break. Freedom at last! Or so I thought. Horrible, horrible words just so happened to spill out of the mouth of the next pirate I asked to fork over his precious coins.

"I… uh, I don't have 50P," he mumbled, awkwardly shuffling his feet. My eyebrow twitched.

"Sir, can you please speak up? I don't believe I heard you correctly," I asked, plastering a fake but rehearsed smile on my face. His face turned bright red and he started fiddling with his bandana, looking at the ground to avoid eye contact.

"I don't have enough money to get in, miss." My eyebrow twitched again, and my grin faltered, turning feral.

"You can't be serious. 50P is _literally_ pocket change. You could easily get more than that for beating up a random kindergartner's Zigzagoon in a battle. Why, exactly, don't you have it?" I spat out, irritated. Unfortunately for him, I was hungry, tired, and just wanted to go home - so I snapped. Unprofessional, I know, but it happens to the best of us.

"I lost to a kid yesterday, okay! They took all my money, darn it!" he yelped. The pirate girl behind him chuckled. I glared at her before turning back to the _other_ one.

"Well, if you can't pay the fee, get out."

"I can't get out - we have an operation going! The boss will get angry, and he's really, really scary like that, man!" he sputtered.

"Nope, too bad - leave or I'll have security escort you out."

"No way, dude! Just let me through this one time, please?"

I broke down into a fit of hysterical laughter - the rest of the line looked at me like I lost my mind, but I didn't care. The museum needed the fees to operate, and I'd no doubt get fired for letting someone in without paying - and besides, what's stopping the rest of his group from pretending not to have any money to get in free themselves? No, the fact that he even asked me to waive the fee for him was hilarious - I wouldn't even do it for a friend. This was my _job_ , not a charity. Finally, I collected myself and turned back to him.

"What, you don't understand the meaning of the word 'no'? This is an established museum that runs on donations, government support, and that little 'fee' you're so averse to paying - every little bit counts. And you have the audacity to claim you have no money - not even a tiny, teeny weeny bit. Where do you live then - in a bush? Really, it's ridiculous. Get a job and come back tomorrow - oh wait, you have no work ethic, probably. Hence why you're waltzing around in a pirate costume and not doing, like, literally anything else," I retorted. His mouth was hanging open, aghast and mortified to the point I almost regretted my words. Almost. That was very therapeutic - I'd never told off a customer before, usually playing the part of the meek receptionist. I should probably stop bottling up my emotions - well, if this doesn't get me in trouble, that is.

The pirate was trembling, as white as a sheet while the girl next to him was laughing her but off. She pulled out a bill from her pocket and passed it to me over the counter.

"That was hilarious, you have to tell Michael off again like that sometime - he's been pretty quiet since he messed up big time in Petalburg Woods, but normally his ego is bigger than a Wailord. Here - that should be enough for both of us, can you let us by now?" the lady pirate said, lips twitching into a small grin. I took the cash.

"Of course, enjoy your time in the museum," I replied, letting out another fit of laughter after the passed into the main exhibit area. I still can't believe I told off a customer like that. The remaining pirates looked terrified of me though. Thankfully, this meant that they all had their money ready ahead of time, and I could finally go to lunch. Ah, time for _Charizard's BBQ_ \- how I adore thee!

* * *

 **AN: This is a lot shorter than the others, but it does tell a succinct story, giving a little more insight into what might have been happening in that line of Team Aqua grunts in Slateport City. Oh, and _Charizard's BBQ_ was one of the restaurant signs at the 2018 Pokemon World Championships - I saw a picture of it on Twitter and it was just so cute I had to give a nod to it! Anyways, thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Rockets Reign**

...My name? Doesn't matter. My job, though, does.

Several years back, I worked at the Silph Company in the Kanto region. Saffron was a large, bustling city filled to the brim with businessmen and women chatting away eagerly on their cell phones in the morning hours, transitioning to a few stragglers and young pokemon trainers later on in the day.

So imagine my surprise when, one day while running late to work, I saw _no one_ in the streets. Not a single person!

...Or at least not until I arrived to the office.

Now, I was a tad nervous - the city's silence grew stiflingly more uncomfortable with each passing second of inactivity - so I, unlike usual, hugged the building walls in my approach. It probably looked a bit ridiculous to anyone paying attention, a short, young woman wearing a white lab coat and gripping tightly on a pokeball sneaking about the city like a scared Rattata, but, in the moment, I had other things to worry about.

Like the Team Rocket Grunt standing guard at the Silph Company headquarters, for example. Looking down at my silver watch, I bit back a curse. I was going to be late for the counseling appointment I had with HR today.

It may seem… peculiar that I had such an appointment to attend, but it was only because some scientist from the fifth floor was getting a bit handsy with me during break. Getting hit on is always awkward, especially from a coworker whose thrice your age and just won't take _no_ for an answer-

Needless to say, I only regret getting _caught_ slapping him. Not, you know, actually doing it.

Sighing, I realized there was a small chance I could get fired for not showing up to work on time, and ditching an appointment no less, but I didn't _mean_ to be late, really! My bed was just so warm… and Arcanine refused to get up off my feet… and I really didn't want to disturb him…

Okay, okay. I just didn't feel like dealing with Janet from HR again, happy?

Anyways, I still had to decide how to deal with the Rocket Grunt. The man, tall and wiry, was leaned up against the sliding glass door. He had his black berete angled down to cover his face, but since I was looking at him from the side, I could tell he was still awake, even if he wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings.

Where were the police anyways? It's not like anything could be more important than _Team Rocket_ , Kanto's largest criminal organization, loitering about the region's biggest technology company.

I only really had two options here - fight or flight. I _did_ make it to the top 16 as a kid in the Indigo League tournament, but glancing up at the second floor's windows, I caught glimpses of more Rocket Grunts inside. Great, a full-blown takeover. I don't get paid enough for this crap (I mean, scientists get paid pretty well, especially at Silph, but taking on Team Rocket isn't exactly in the job description).

...Although, if Team Rocket really _had_ taken over the company (which was looking more and more likely at this point), then no one should notice or care that I hadn't shown up today. Hmm… decisions, decisions.

The Rocket Grunt at the door jolted awake as the walkie talkie on his belt blared to life. I could only catch a few phrases, "operation seize the Silph Company" and "take the Master Ball at any cost" being the two most important ones. The first confirmed what I suspected, and the second… fifth floor handsy-man was working on the Master Ball, so I could only hope he would get what was coming to him via Team Rocket, as cruel as that may be. Admittedly, Team Rocket having such a device would be worrying, but only one had ever been made and if Silph, a multi-million dollar company dedicated to producing pokeballs and the like, couldn't replicate it with current technology, Team Rocket had no chance in hell. Besides, even if they did manage to snag a legendary with it, the champion could probably handle it. If not, legendary pokemon were a large enough of a threat to warrant bringing in help from other regions, so it'd be resolved eventually.

With this in mind, I nodded to myself before sneaking off. I wasn't going to waste my time with this, especially when popcorn and my movie collection were calling my name at home. At the very least, I resolved to report this to one of the city's police stations on the way. I wasn't heartless, even if I wasn't exactly a good samaritan.

...Though, I'd always wonder, if I knew that a ten year-old would be the one to take down Team Rocket that day, would I have gone inside too? I… I never could stand the thought of kids getting hurt, especially not for something that they had no control over. I mean, Red was fine, but if only for that reason, that I ignored a credible threat and inadvertently let kids deal with it for me, I regret not being a more responsible adult.

Well, at least the man on the fifth floor got fired for siding with Team Rocket.

* * *

 **AN: It's been a while, hasn't it? Since I've been having trouble writing _Rocket Smoke_ recently (writer's block, primarily), I figured writing some other stuff should help me ease back into it. This snippet here I've had the idea for a while actually. Oh, and I've also reformatted the ANs and chapter titles here to match my newer stories. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading!**


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